Nintendo’s 64 bit answer to Playstation and Sega Saturn hit ‘96 louder than a sonic boom, rendering a generation of future leaders to gaming zombies at all hours. While its library didn’t hit you with tons of releases every month like the PS, the system still had its fair share of landmark titles and hidden gems alike all while leaving thousands of those weird three-pronged controllers in its wake. Let’s not forget the console standardized analog sticks and four-player inputs for future consoles. Plus, N64’s best games had you covered from solo gaming to multiplayer marathons for hours on end.

The system obviously had more than 15 top titles so cutting the list short for its fifteen year anniversary proved difficult. However we believe the best of the best got highlighted even if some games barely missed the cut. Check out the lineup and reminisce on years wasted in front of the living room TV. And no, neither of Kobe’s Pre-Black Mamba basketball games made the cut.

1. Super Mario 64 — Collecting all 120 stars scattered throughout Mario 64 was the stuff of playground legend. Sure, the most average gamer could beat Bowser, but it took a certain level of determination to reach 120. A milestone built of blood, sweat and tears, the fact that so many of us even attempted to replay the game’s levels that many times is a testament to stellar gameplay and awesome level design. Mario 64 was a lot of fun.

2. The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time — Zelda had kids camped out in their rooms with Dorito’s, Hi-C and strategy books for hours. The story had so many layers and tricks, making this installment ahead of its time. Greatest Zelda game ever?

3. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask — Ocarina of Time offered the blueprint to which all modern action-RPGs follow, but Majora’s Mask perfected it. Much more difficult than its predecessor, the game allowed the player to manipulate time: forcing Link to relive the same three-day cycle until the bad guy was defeated. Gameplay was extremely varied by allowing Link to transform into different creatures who commonly populated the Zelda landscape. It’s hard to imagine any game giving Ocarina a run for its money but that’s exactly what Majora’s Mask did.

4. Starfox 64 — Starfox 64 continued right where the SNES version left off. Sleek controls. Mega-fun vs. mode. And a newly-invented rumble pack attachment made for a cutting edge game. Too bad he kind of became a b*tch on Smash Bros.

5. Super Smash Brothers — Tossing Nintendo’s biggest names into a no-holds barred free-for-all was a great marketing move, but what makes Smash such a classic is the gameplay. Drawing as much influence from Mario as Mortal Kombat, the game was an absolute clusterf*ck in the best possible way. Learning how to properly bash your pals with the baseball bat and staving off twenty or so Yoshi clones in adventure mode are the stuff video game memories are made of.

6. GoldenEye 007 — Got three friends? Got four controllers? Then kiss your Saturday goodbye. Golden Eye is one of the best first-person shooters and it’s hard to find many people that can tell you a single thing about story mode. Just grab some homeys and kill each other endlessly.

7. Mario Kart 64 — Few games can make a bunch of grown, well mannered adults scream and carry on as if middle school never stopped. Mario Kart 64 will definitely bring the worst out of anyone with the slightest hint of nostalgia for karting all-nighters. Just don’t be that asshole who holds on to the blue shell or the thunderbolt until the last lap.

8. Wave Race 64 — Launch window games don’t get much better than Wave Race 64. Tearing up turbulent waters in jet skis via the analog stick was sublime back when it dropped. This game’s also a bit special since few water based racing games came out before and since its release. More importantly, the game still holds up well and provides some of the most entertaining racing action you’ll find anywhere.

9. WWF No Mercy — Best wrestling game. Ever. Bar none. While later games may have better graphics, none can rival the gameplay and control scheme from No Mercy. THQ has since unnecessarily complicated the functions but, if they’d just stick to No Mercy’s controls, they’d have the wrestling equivalent of Madden on their hands. It also helps that the game came during the golden age of wrestling personalities. Keep your Smackdown vs. Raw. No Mercy is the creme de la creme.

10. Mario Tennis — During David D.’s senior year of college, he was about to break up with his girlfriend. She brought her N64 and Mario Tennis to campus from home and their relationship lasted three more months. Yes, the game is that addicting.

11. Jet Force Gemini — Rare couldn’t miss when they were at the top of their game. But even they put out overlooked gems while other games of the day hogged the spotlight. Don’t let the googly eyed cast fool you. JFG’s approach to third person shooting stayed frantic and way ahead of its time. We’d ask for a reboot but, since Rare’s more interested in making BS avatar items for Xbox Live, we’ll focus our fail safe online petition elsewhere.

12. Paper Mario — A quick turn-based RPG with action and platforming elements thrown in, Paper Mario was slept on by a lot of people because it dropped towards the end of the Nintendo 64’s life cycle. Those that stuck around can attest to the game’s brilliance. Anchored by a combat system that actually had players looking forward to random battles, Paper Mario was hard to put down.

13. Perfect Dark — PD’s the often neglected black sheep to Goldeneye’s model sibling image. Plus the game ran like straight ass when things got hectic which didn’t help its cause. Joanna Dark’s exploits still helped pioneer and feature elements shooters emulate or still don’t have over a decade later like bots, alternate fire, co-op campaign and counter-op campaign mode.

14. 1080 Snowboarding — Waverace’s spiritual successor traded the water for the slopes. 1080’s tough yet rewarding gameplay left a gang of broken N64 controllers in its path. Yesterday’s youngin’s got tons of ill calluses just to hear the announcer yell out “1080!” as they mashed out random trick combos in vain.

15. F Zero X — Now this is how you make a sequel. F Zero X provided some of the fastest races of its day with even crazier tracks and a ton of unlockable hovercrafts. Invite 3 friends over and you had some of the dopest split screen rivalries imaginable.

I do know that Conker was a late scratch, though. Give it an honorable mention

09.29.11 at 1:30 pm

Yassin

i still play supersmash and mariocart every now and then with my bros, shit will never die

09.29.11 at 1:38 pm

AmpGeez a.k.a. Amphernee Hardaway

No Mercy
^^^

I liked WWE Wrestlemania 2000 too. Hard to say which one I liked better.

09.29.11 at 1:48 pm

PandasNeedTivo2

Only two I ever needed were Goldeneye and Mario Kart. Never could get behind those Zelda games even though everyone upped the one for N64. THey took too long.

09.29.11 at 1:49 pm

PandasNeedTivo2

Man this brings back some summer memories. Of some wasted summers.

09.29.11 at 1:58 pm

TheRealXL

Happy Anniversary, N64: The 15 Best Nintendo 64 Titles Of All Time
09.29.11 Written by TSSCrew
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11. Jet Force Gemini — Rare couldn’t miss when they were at the top of their game. But even they put out overlooked gems while other games of the day hogged the spotlight. Don’t let the googly eyed cast fool you. JFG’s approach to third person shooting stayed frantic and way ahead of its time. We’d ask for a reboot but, since Rare’s more interested in making BS avatar items for Xbox Live, we’ll focus our fail safe online petition elsewhere.

10. Mario Tennis — During David D.’s senior year of college, he was about to break up with his girlfriend. She brought her N64 and Mario Tennis to campus from home and their relationship lasted three more months. Yes, the game is that addicting.
_____________________

classy…lol

09.29.11 at 1:58 pm

Athrin

My mother bought me a playstation from the pawn shop as a kid so I never had a N64, I wanted one so bad when I saw Jet Force Gemini. I remember writers in the video game magazine commenting on how hard that game was.

PS list next… *Expects to see FF7 no matter what*

09.29.11 at 1:59 pm

S.Cadet

Yeah dropping Conker was tough but we’ll live. I liked Blast Corps more than Conker anyway and that didn’t make the cut either.

09.29.11 at 1:59 pm

Athrin

Also, we gonna forget Donkey Kong Country 64? That was a great game.

09.29.11 at 2:01 pm

sevechild

I never played No Mercy (I didn’t have N64 but one of my boys did) but WCW Nitro was my shit. One of the only N64 games outside of Goldeneye and Ken Griffy that I remember and one of the best wrestling games I’ve ever played.

09.29.11 at 2:04 pm

Willie P

Never owned one of these, always had to go to the homie’s crib and get on it.

Now if this was a PSOne list? Shiiiiiiiiittt…

09.29.11 at 2:09 pm

Stay Frosty

I admitted just the other day that I never finished Ocarina of Time.

007 will forever be the greatest game of all time in my eyes, some might say Perfect Dark is better be we all know they have no sense.

And there was WCW game (can’t remember which one) that I thought was better than No Mercy. Revenge?

09.29.11 at 2:13 pm

Clif Soulo

If they don’t have Ken Griffey Baseball this is no list.

09.29.11 at 2:14 pm

S.Cadet

Donkey Kong 64 had too much collecting: same for the Banjo games. They were cool at the time when I was a kid and had the patience for that stuff. Still I wouldn’t want to play them again.

09.29.11 at 2:19 pm

Dunn

I also never finished Ocarina of Time, that Water Temple just wouldn’t stop fucking with me.

09.29.11 at 2:24 pm

David D.

And there was WCW game (can’t remember which one) that I thought was better than No Mercy. Revenge?

======

The WCW games were dope for the way they utilized the cruiserweights, but the WWF won based on the material they had to work with. The WWF just had better characters to work with, putting it over the top

09.29.11 at 2:30 pm

A. Smarter

^
The water temple could swallow several dicks, choke on them, and die. Fuck the water temple.

I’m with Pandas. These games stole so much time from me I’ll never get back. Ain’t mad tho. Those marathon Goldeneye/Perfect Dark/Turok (yeah, Turok) sessions were worth it.

I remember we rented Goldeneye, got locked out the house coming back from Blockbuster, and were so desperate to play we broke back in the house. The homie cracked his dome on the toilet climbing headfirst through the bathroom window. We ran that game til like 4 the next morning without stopping. Good times.

09.29.11 at 2:58 pm

Pinero

Didn’t own the N64, but everytime I went over to my cuzins house, I fell in love with Mario 64 and Golden Eye all over again everytime. Classic gaming, good times. I still want to buy an N64 jus to relive those good games. Sony & Nintendo >>>>> Microsoft.

09.29.11 at 3:01 pm

Hip-O-Critic

1. Golden Eye
2. Ocarina of Time
3. Mario Kart

09.29.11 at 3:05 pm

Sirius, the Dog Star.

Well, we can all agree that they’re all there…Wait a minute… WHERE THE FUCK IS CONKER’S BAD FUR DAY!!!???

09.29.11 at 3:20 pm

ignite mindz

started playing zelda again on 64 a few months ago and then they came out with the 3d version out of nowhere. i forgot about it though, im on that ice cavern level i need to get back on it.

09.29.11 at 3:44 pm

WTFoxx

super smash bros and goldeneye caused a lot of fist fights amongst friends in my hood. I will forever remember an ass whoopin being handed out over who called next…

09.29.11 at 3:50 pm

grime

before i read. star fox 64 super smash and golden eye have to be on this list for this list to be legit

09.29.11 at 3:52 pm

grime

no mercy = the only game i ever begged for

09.29.11 at 4:09 pm

Phillmatic The MuthaFuckin Dude Wit The Shoes

Freshman and Sophomore year at Hampton Golden Eye was the Shit

09.29.11 at 4:29 pm

R

loved the shit outta that first banjo game. The goofy soundtracks and shit really put the right feel into that game. some of those songs were cool as hell tho, i still find myself humming the music from the witch doctors hut from time to time lol

09.29.11 at 4:38 pm

Sherm

Goldeneye is #1, hands down. BTW, I challenge anyone on here to beat me with rocket launchers or power weapons. Haha.

F-Zero gets an honorable mention for being dope as shit when you’re stoned.

09.29.11 at 4:55 pm

AJ

@R

As gay as those Banjo games were, when I was ten they were my shiiit. And the idea of collecting musical notes and puzzle pieces makes me believe it would be a pretty excellent stoner game.

09.29.11 at 5:05 pm

J.C.

International Superstar Soccer 64 was my shit!

09.29.11 at 5:23 pm

Type

banjo kazooie was sick because it was all about the collecting, those musical notes and puzzle pieces were like crack…also, i will never understand why thq got rid of their control scheme during the n64 era…shame on them…so many fun times playing royal rumble with my friends…whenever someone got out and got a new character it was always jokes to see maye young run out and then start whooping ass lol

09.29.11 at 5:56 pm

Pago

All the usual supsects are here, but I say replace that wave rider game with Conker’s Bad Fur Day.

09.29.11 at 6:04 pm

ak spitta

Donkey Kong and Conkers are musts on the list. It was a good list just missing those two in my opinion take out the snowboarding one and paper mario, real happy to see f zero and mario tennis in though those were dope games that i never actualy owned.

09.29.11 at 6:10 pm

ADrake22

Smash Bros., No Mercy and Mario Tennis are it for me… btw, I’m willing to bet racks on racks on racks, no one is seeing me in Smash Bros. Link or Pikachu all day!!! lol

09.29.11 at 6:29 pm

Matchz Malone

Super Smash Bros on the 64 was great… but can we all come to agreance that Melee (gamecube) may be the greatest multiplayer game ever? It was like the Michael Jackson in his prime of multiplayer/story mode games. Both modes were perfect, from playing with friends to by yourself, the random things you had to do to unlock characters… PERFECTION

09.29.11 at 6:51 pm

500K Flea

Never owned a Nintendo system after the SuperNES. Bought a Playstation when it dropped and I haven’t looked back since. I checked out a Wii-U demo…Sheeeeeeeit! Nintendo is going to have a great year when that system drops!

@ Panda: Did you get a copy of FIFA 12 yet?! I got mine!WOOHOO!!!

09.29.11 at 7:52 pm

Stay Frosty

Personally, Diddy Kong Racing > Mario Kart

That Everfrost Peak track music will forever be implemented into my brain

09.29.11 at 7:54 pm

Stay Frosty

And WCW/NWO World Tour was the one I was thinking of

09.29.11 at 7:55 pm

AJ

Seriously tho, where are my Smash Bro.’s Kirby users at?

Kirby >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

09.29.11 at 7:55 pm

Greed

Majora’s Mask>>>>Ocarina of Time. Just saying.

09.29.11 at 9:19 pm

Chris Cool

i still got my 64. i bring it out every few months or so.

fuck it im bout to play no mercy.

09.29.11 at 9:25 pm

Ivan

FYI: I will murder anybody in Super Smash Bros. using Donkey Kong. Just thought you should know.

extra cool points if you can tell me what part of the game im taking the sample from.

if yall like em ill post more…

09.29.11 at 10:08 pm

BoyEazy

My G!!! Where WCW Vs NWO Revenge at Tho!

09.29.11 at 10:09 pm

PandasNeedTivo2

@500 k

Come on man, you know this. Its pretty dope, I feel like you can build up from the back much better. Also the through ball from top of the 18 to a winger cutting behind the defense never worked for me before this game. The only thing I dont like is the new defending system, I had to change it back for now.

09.29.11 at 11:05 pm

thastrings

you shoulda left out perfect dark for conkers bad fur day. it really was just a lesser goldeneye.

also surprised both zelda games made it on there, though they’re both good. but in the name of diversity i would have included rogue squadron. that was a big title early on for the system.

oh and WWF No Mercy was unbelievable. It made WWF Raw’s controls look like they were quantum physics.

09.30.11 at 12:02 am

karlito

2 thoughts
I got starfox 64 played all the way to the end. beat the boss and put the controller down to watch the credits.only to find out i wasn’t done. I never made it that far again.
second thought no Conker WTF!

09.30.11 at 10:11 am

Dingo

I was the best goldeneye player in highschool, and then in college, well, I landed a group that was better than me and well. We drew straws to see who had to go to class to take notes. It was that bad.

09.30.11 at 10:41 am

Bill Breeze

Wow! This really took me back! Great post!!!

09.30.11 at 11:44 am

ayo

never played either of those zelda games and proud of it! i hated that crap

09.30.11 at 1:10 pm

Garipeto

Snowboard Kids > 1080

Also, I think the funnest part of wave race was doing the free ride mode with my brothers trying to make mid-air collisions and gruesome wipeouts happen.

09.30.11 at 2:50 pm

Pat Bateman

Not for nothing but Star Wars Rogue Squadron was the shit.

10.02.11 at 4:13 pm

mcmeador

Beetle Adventure Racing belongs on this list.

10.04.11 at 3:25 am

Ace

um.. i had to ctrl + F to c if anyone else mentioned Donkey Kong 64.. i reall dont c how that was left off, i mean the amount of insanely shitty weapons and uses for them was remarkable (no sarcasm tho, it was awesome).. i mean i didnt find them to b shitty weapons at the time but lookin back, peanut gun lol?? but i really liked how every character had their own missions and shit